Welsh star Joe Allen has said that the national team can cope without star forward Gareth Bale as they play a crucial World Cup qualifier against Serbia on Sunday.
The Real Madrid star would miss the game as he is on suspension.
Serbia demolished Wales 6-1 in 2012 with Allen describing that night as his “worst night in a Welsh shirt.” He adds that he believes the memories of that day would help the team mentally as they face the Serbs.
Wales are four points behind them in Group D. Republic of Ireland are ahead of them as well so a victory is needed for their World Cup hopes to remain intact. After their strong display at Euro 2016 the team slumped into poor form which they are trying hard to make up for. Bale’s second yellow card in March against Rep of Ireland means they would not have their playmaker.
“We are going to miss him, there is no point hiding from that fact. He’s key to us and he’s a world class player, but one of the main qualities of this group is that we’re all about team work and we are about resilience,” Allen preached.
He adds that they always have a plan B even when Bale is around. Allen says the Welsh side have to look for a way to deal with their opponents one way or the other. The former Reds star was part of the team that were defeated in the last visit at Serbia. He says the team has another chance to prove how far they have come. He says the current set-up is “a million miles away” from that team.
Allen says the vibe and atmosphere in the camp is good but surprisingly adds that the game is not “amust win.”